The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-13
Where Reform Ia Needed.


While the Governor is investigating the
charges of abuses in the convict camps he
should also inquire whether the precautions
taken to prevent the escape of convicts are
sufficient, and whether all the convicts re-
ceive the same treatment. There is a slls-
picion that if convict have influential
friends he does not find life at the camps
! very burdensome. 1t will be remembered
that at the last session of the Legislature a
committee of that body visited one Of the
convict camps and was surprised to find
that the most prominent convict not only
did not wear striped suit, but was treated
more as a guest than as a prisoner He
employed his time as he pleased, and went
fishing whenever it suited him to do so. If
discrimination of this sort is permitted why
May it not be exercised in the case of any
convict whom the lessees may be disposed to
favors
A few days ago four convicts escaped
from the camp near Augusta. Two of them
were from this county. They attacked the
guard, took his gun from him and fled The
amount which was expended in sending
them to the penitentiary was, no doubt,
large, and yet the efforts to punish them, in
accordance with the sentences imposed upon
them, were defeated at the convict camps.
1t is about impossible to so guard the
camps that no convict will ever escape, but
it is possible to prevent any considerable
number of convicts from escaping. Ac-
counts of the escape of convicts are by no
means uncommon in the press of the State,
md 70 Al.rL Al.% Ill H.
not mentioned in the public prints.
' 1t was stated few days ago that
a man who was convicted about
a year or SO ago of numbering an
inoffensive citizen in this county, and sent
to the penitentiary for life, had made his
escape There is good grounds for thinking
that the statement is correct It does not
seem to be of much use to go to the expense
of convictiDg criminals when the way out of
the penitentiary seems to be SO easy. Even
if nothing is done towards adopting better
convict system, something at least might be
done to remedy the worst features of the
present one. The people certainly don't
want to be taxed to support courts and jails
if convicts are so badly guarded in the pen
itentiary that they experience little diff
Guilty in escaping.
The lessees are liable for damages to the
extent of $500 for every convict who es-
capes. Doubtless the proper officers see to
it that the money due the State from this
source is paid, but is it not apparent that
$500 is wholly inadequate to insure the safe
keeping of convicts who can command
money! No lessee, of course, would wink
at the escape of a convict for any such
sum, or, perhaps, for any sum likely to be
obtained, but can as much be said for the
poorly paid guards? All of the present
guards may be incorruptible, but no
one will deny that in the changes that are
all the time being made, there may be some
who can be corrupted. Would it be strange
if guard, who is paid $50 or $40 a month,
should for a few hundred dollars, give a
convict chance to escape?
The lease system is no doubt very bad,
though very cheap, one, but bad as it is
there is no reason for some of the abuses
which are practiced under it in this State
When the present investigation is finished
let the Legislature see if it cannot do some
thing to lessen them. If the law under
which the leases are made does not give the
Governor as much power as he ought to
have let it be amended. Let something be
done to insure the convicts humane treat
ment and at tho same time the full punish
ment which the courts inflicted upon them